Most of us suspect the rich have a great deal going for them, but it may be even more obscene than we imagine; it may be unwise for the gay-rights movement to focus too much attention on the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act; scientists have figured out which neurons signal pain and itching. These news items and more.

Elected officials are usually voted in to represent their constituents. So why do Republicans in Congress oppose Obama’s plan to raise investment taxes on the rich when two-thirds of Americans think the wealthy aren’t paying enough in taxes?

In one of his last speeches, at Grosse Point, MI., the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., laid out his next campaign, the one he died pursuing. It was not about civil rights for minorities but economic rights for “the other America.”

In a recent episode of “The Trews” titled “Will Obama’s Bombs Stop Beheadings?” comedian Russell Brand ponders what President Obama really means when he says the U.S. is attacking Islamic State in Syria and Iraq in order to protect “America’s core interests.”

“Why don’t you simply do what other rich folks do? Hide your money offshore so you don’t have to pay any taxes.” Laughter erupted at the table at my sarcastic comment and my question remained unanswered.

The birthday song has been in the public domain for decades, but somehow Warner/Chappell Music has gotten away with collecting hundreds of millions in royalties every time it was performed; the richest Americans are mostly inheriting their wealth; meanwhile, although science will make it possible to cryogenically freeze ourselves “until a future age,” one writer questions whether that’s something we’d actually want. These discoveries and more after the jump.

Here’s a lecture I gave recently at this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival. The irony of talking about inequality with an audience composed almost entirely of the richest one-tenth of 1 percent of Americans was not lost on me.

The eBay and First Look Media founder (shown) is a walking contradiction when it comes to his “progressive anti-state image” and his actions to further the “global neoliberal agenda”; Facebook may wield control over votes in elections; meanwhile, more than half of congressional members are millionaires and have no idea what it’s like to be poor. These discoveries and more after the jump.

The Seattle City Council’s unanimous decision to impose the highest minimum wage in America is a momentous leap toward lifting workers out of poverty and closing the constantly widening gap between the 99 and the 1 percent.

Even though French economist Thomas Piketty has made an airtight case that we’re heading toward levels of inequality not seen since the days of the 19th century robber barons, right-wing conservatives haven’t stopped lying about what’s happening and what to do about it.

It’s really the 0.01 percent of Americans who are leaving us all behind; one answer to fighting climate change is vegetarianism; meanwhile, is the beer in Britain spying on you? These discoveries and more after the jump.

Inequality is endemic to the core structure of an America that operates more as a plutocracy than a democracy. It is an inherent result of the consolidation of a substantial amount of both financial power and political influence in the hands of a few families.

As he recounts in New York magazine, journalist Kevin Roose was able to infiltrate a secret Wall Street fraternity party in January 2012 that was attended by many of the top financial moguls of our time.